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PGA Tour Wives partner with local Habitat affiliate

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties and the PGA Tour Wives Association have partnered for a unique home build day ahead of the March 22 Valspar Championship. The Association, comprised of PGA Tour professionals’ wives, will paint two new Habitat homes Wednesday in Tarpon Springs. Middle and high school students from the Ross Norton and North Greenwood Recreation Centers in Clearwater will also volunteer.

USF researchers received $692 million in 2023

The University of South Florida announced Monday that researchers received $692 million in fiscal year 2023, a new record. The amount represents a 27% increase from the previous year and underscores USF’s stature as a preeminent research university. Federal funding totaled $392 million and also increased 27%, over triple the national average.

Joe Bonamassa show rescheduled at Clearwater amphitheater

Last weekend's Joe Bonamassa concert at the BayCare Sound amphitheater, postponed at the last minute when the blues guitarist became ill, has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 24. Tickets for the March 16 date will be honored Sunday at the Clearwater venue. The show begins at 7 p.m.

SPC president’s new podcast highlights local women leaders

Dr. Tonjua Williams, president of St. Petersburg College, is kicking off Women’s History Month by launching a new podcast March 19. “Standing in the Gap” will feature thought leaders who foster positive changes in their community. The podcast’s first guest is Dr. Kanika Tomalin, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. For more information, visit the website here.

Local brewery announces daddy-daughter fishing tournament

The owners of 3 Daughters Brewing are launching a Daddy-Daughter Inshore Fishing Tournament to bolster familial relationships and encourage women and girls to participate in an often male-dominated activity. The inaugural event is April 13, with the weigh-in and after-party at the St. Petersburg brewery. For more information, visit the website here.

Utilities officials host Water Conservation Expo Saturday

Pinellas County Utilities officials are hosting a Water Conservation Expo from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility in St. Petersburg. The public event will feature expert presentations, guided tours, water-saving equipment giveaways, a native plant sale, free mulch and children’s activities. For more information, visit the website here.

Local woman allegedly embezzles over $710,000 from employer

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Clearwater woman for allegedly forging and cashing 232 checks totaling $710,531 over six years. Monika Hladik, 41, served as the managerial accountant for Palm Harbor-based eyeglass manufacturer Inspecs USA, and detectives say she manipulated QuickBooks accounting entries to hide the ongoing theft. She now faces one count of scheme to defraud in the ongoing investigation.

Trader Joe’s announces store in Palm Harbor

Trader Joe’s announced on its website plans to open another Tampa Bay-area store. The grocery chain is adding a location at 33591 U.S. Highway 19 North in Palm Harbor. The announcement did not set an official opening date, but noted, “Our Crew is working hard so we can open our doors in 2024. The grocery chain has nearly two dozen locations throughout Florida, including Tampa, St. Petersburg and Bradenton.

Local unemployment rates top state average

According to a recently released Florida Department of Commerce report, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater unemployment rate was 3.3% in January, .3 percentage points higher than the state average. The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall region led the state at 1.4%. The Homosassa Springs metropolitan statistical area recorded the worst jobless rate in Florida, at 5.2%.

The Trop ranks as second-worst stadium in baseball

USA Today recently ranked Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, 29th out of 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. Pittsburgh’s PNC Park placed first, while the Athletics’ Oakland Coliseum finished last. “The two most important things you can say about the Trop: at least the team has made an effort to make this sterile environment inviting; a solid plan may be in place to replace it,” wrote USA Today.

NBC’s Grand Prix viewership drops 18%

While the 2024 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg set new attendance records, the live NBC broadcast was down 18%. The season-opening IndyCar race drew 975,000 viewers March 10, compared to over 1.1 million in 2023 and 1.2 million in 2022. The event went head to head with women’s college basketball phenom Caitlin Clark and her University of Iowa Hawkeyes winning the Big Ten title on CBS.

USFSP’s human trafficking lab receives nearly $3 million

University of South Florida officials announced Wednesday that the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab, housed at the St. Petersburg campus, received nearly $3 million in federal funding. U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin secured $1.85 million to expand the TIP Lab’s BRIGHT Network, which helps victims escape their situation by streamlining access to community resources. Congresswoman Kathy Castor also requested a nearly $1 million appropriation for the facility’s statewide data repository.

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